Jarrett Bush was a young, unproven player, trying to impress his new coaches. Joe Philbin was a coach on the rise, making sure his voice was heard loud and clear. Back in 2006, that was a dangerous concoction inside the Green Bay Packers scout team.
Philbin, the Miami Dolphins' head coach today, was a Packers assistant from 2003-'11 and their offensive coordinator his last five years in Green Bay. Part of Philbin's duties early on was running the scout team. When Bush arrived in Green Bay as a street free agent, he felt one way to make his mark was to shine with the scout team — even if that meant ad-libbing a bit. Philbin, though, wasn't big on that. "He used to run the scout team and I'd run the cards for him," Bush said of Philbin. "And I'd make a play and he'd be like, 'J.B., that's not what the cards say.' And I'd be like, 'Hey, I just made a play, I'm trying to do my job over here.' "It was kind of a love-hate relationship. We used to get after each other pretty good, but we understood each other. We were cool."
Cornerback Tramon Williams, a scout team member himself back in 2006, tells a similar story. "I was a young guy and a lot of young guys get yelled at and I'm not good with getting yelled at," Williams said. "So me and Joe actually got into this thing one day." He was yelling, 'Where is the nickel (back)?' and I was actually right in front of his face. So he's yelling and making a big scene and I yelled back, 'I'm the nickel. I'm the nickel.' And we were yelling at each other for a minute, but from that point on it was like we had a connection."
Most of the Packers had a connection with Philbin. And many can't wait to see their former coach Sunday, when Green Bay travels to Miami. Philbin was one of the most popular people in the Packers organization during his time in Green Bay. He helped the Packers' offense reach new heights during a memorable 2011 season.
But Philbin's 21-year-old son, Michael, drowned in January 2012. Later that week, Green Bay lost to the New York Giants in the NFC divisional playoffs. And just days later, Philbin was hired by Miami.
For many Packers, this will be the first time they've seen Philbin since that chaotic, painful stretch. "That was one of the toughest weeks I've ever had to go through as a professional, to see a friend in pain like that," Packers fullback John Kuhn said. "It touched every person in this whole organization. "That's why it's going to be cool to see him. I really respect Joe as a coach and as a friend and it's going to be nice to see him. The whole time he was here, he made it enjoyable to be an offensive player. And he was more than a coach — he was a great guy, as well. He made it fun to play football."
Williams agreed. "That was a tough, tough time," Williams said. "You never want anything like that to happen. That's a tough situation, but I'm glad Joe got his just due, got an opportunity and a chance to start over somewhere else and have some success."
Philbin, the only Mike McCarthy assistant to land a head coaching job, earned a chance in Miami thanks largely to everything he accomplished in Green Bay.
Philbin didn't call the plays for McCarthy's offense. But he had a huge role in game day planning, was arguably the finest teacher on McCarthy's staff, and was McCarthy's eyes and ears form the press box on game days. The Packers finished in the top 10 in scoring and total offense each of Philbin's five years as Green Bay's offensive coordinator. And the Packers scored a franchise record 560 points (35.0 per game) during Philbin's final year in 2011.
In the time since Philbin's departure, Green Bay's offense has taken a minor step back. The Packers have averaged 26.6 points per game in the 37 regular season games since Philbin left, after averaging 28.3 in the 80 games Philbin was the offensive coordinator.
"I honestly think we lost a little bit when he left," Packers wideout Jordy Nelson said. "Joe was great, a hard worker, knew his stuff, held everyone accountable and I think he was a big part of what we did when he was here."
Things haven't gone as smoothly for Philbin in Miami. He's 17-19 in two-plus seasons and has yet to have a winning record. Miami is currently 2-2 and in third place in the AFC East. Philbin was barbecued in many circles for claiming ignorance during the Richie Incognito-Jonathan Martin bullying scandal that took place inside his own locker room last season. But he bought himself another year by firing five assistant coaches, including offensive coordinator Mike Sherman — his former boss in Green Bay.
This year hasn't exactly been smooth sailing either. Philbin created a rift with quarterback Ryan Tannehill when he refused to name him the starter before Miami's Week 4 game against Oakland. "It creates a bunch of stir and a bunch of distraction in the locker room, mostly from the outside coming in and guys having to deal with the distraction of it," Tannehill said. "So it's not a good feeling."
For the most part, though, the Packers have plenty of good feelings when it comes to Philbin. And that's why Sunday should be fun for many of them. "Everybody loved Joe and he was very passionate about his job," Packers right guard T.J. Lang said. "I know everybody was sad that he left, but I'm obviously very happy for him that he got the chance he did." Added linebacker/defensive end Mike Neal: "Joe's a great guy and it's always fun to go back and play against coaches we know. Hats off to Joe for everything he's accomplished. It's going to be a fun game. I just hope we have a good game against those guys."
